Skype Beta For Windows Phone Has Problems Multi-Tasking

Not too long ago Microsoft acquired Skype, a move that many hoped meant good things for its mobile platform, Windows Phone. Unfortunately, Microsoft has yet to deliver a great Skype experience on its own mobile OS, and in fact it seems to pale in comparison to the iOS and Android versions.

So what limitations set back the Skype Beta on Windows Phone? The most significant limitation is that the app doesn’t work in the background. While WP 7.5 does have limited multitasking capabilities, apparently there is a limitation in Windows Phone Mango/Tango that prevents Skype from playing nice. This is likely a problem that will continue even when the guild build is released in April.

Other apps also play nice with Window’s built-in push notifications, yet apparently it runs much too slowly in Skype so the feature was excluded. As it stands, Skype’s limitations mean that it likely isn’t of much value to most Microsoft Windows Phone users. Do you have Windows Phone Beta for Skype? What do you think of it so far?

We can hope, at least, that Windows Phone Apollo finally does arrive, an improved Skype app comes with it.

3 comments

The limitations exist only within the Skype app itself, not WP7.5! If you think about it the app Tango does everything that Skype doesn’t, so the capabilities are definitely here. I wouldn’t call the multitasking if WP limited, its better referred to as “conservative” meaning that it doesn’t try to hard to impress on paper, while robbing the device of resources in real life. I suspect that with this being the most talked about fail of the beta Skype client thus issue will be fixed before Apollo. And, let’s not forget that this is beta, so.. The Skype app has to be the best looking app of the 3, so there’s real potential here. WP really has the potential to disrupt the current smartphone game, and take it well into overtime with the release of affordable phones like the Nokia 610 and higher end devices like the Lumia 900. These devices have practically the same user experience which is what sets WP far from the completion. And Andrew, I suggest you get your hands on a device, give it a week, and get back with us about the potential that Skype, or any app, for WP has. Talk to me.. rj@rojoscleanauto.com

Thanks for replying! I certainly hope it does get its problems worked out. That being said, I love WP… it’s just this Skype version that I’m not certain about. I am actually planning on switching from Android to WP in the near future. I really like what MS is doing with Metro. I already have Windows 8 Consumer Preview up and running as well.